The Emerald City
by H. N. Riff
Summary: NDHB - Nancy and Ned are on vacation in Seattle, when the Hardy boys show up, on a case. What kind of hijinks ensue?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Guess what! Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys? I don't own 'em! Woo-hoo! Oh, wait… dangit.

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Chapter 1

The airport wasn't too terribly crowded, as Nancy Drew awaited the arrival of her longtime boyfriend Ned Nickerson. In the past, she would have been excited to finally see him after a long time apart, but today, like recent months, she grew nervous whenever she would think of him. Their relationship hadn't been doing so well, and Nancy was beginning to think there was no way to patch things up, that maybe they should go their very separate ways. However, they had convinced themselves to give it a shot.

It was the summer before Nancy started college, and Ned had been taking some summer classes and working an internship until just the week before. Their plan had been to meet and spend the week together, seeing the sites and, basically, just spending time together; a whole mystery-free week. The main problem in their relationship was that Ned felt he was playing second fiddle to Nancy's mysteries, but how could she give them up? She couldn't and she wouldn't. Ned would have to live with that, or they'd have to find a possibly less appealing alternative. Less appealing for both of them really. Breaking up was not an easy thing to do, especially when you've been with that person for as long as Nancy and Ned had been together.

So, they were trying to work things out with a little vacation in Seattle, Washington, but Nancy wasn't very optimistic. She stood wringing her hands as she waited for Ned. His flight had been delayed from Chicago, due to bad weather, but he was due any minute now. She had just finished a case in Cincinnati and had flown in from there the day before, so her bags were already at the hotel. She was standing at the corner of a little pretzel shop when she heard someone call her name.

-

Frank and Joe Hardy's plane had just landed at the Seattle airport. They had taken the first available flight from New York, when they received an anonymous tip involving the case they were working on. This tip, via telephone, had led them to Seattle. Their case involved a missing teenage girl, named Mindy Sellars. She was the daughter of a friend of their father, who would have taken the case himself, if he wasn't on a case of his own in Spain, at the moment. However, because he knew his sons were up to the task, he asked them to help find the girl. They had been on the case for two whole weeks now, without a lead, until a man with a muffled voice had called them and told them they may find their answers in the Emerald City. Since they had had no other leads, they decided to chance a wild goose chase and fly to Washington.

As they made their way off the plane, Joe yawned, "Let's hurry up and get to the hotel, so we can grab some food."

"You're hungry already? You just ate on the plane, not to mention that you ate half of mine, as well," Frank laughed.

"Well, you can hardly call that food," his younger brother replied, with a smirk, as his stomach growled.

"Fine, we'll get something to eat as soon as we check in and drop our bags off in the room. We really can't do any investigating today now, anyway, it's pretty late…" he trailed off.

When he stopped, Joe nearly ran into him. "Hey, what's—oh." He saw what had stopped Frank in his tracks, or, more precisely, who. Joe then put on his biggest smile and strode past his brother. "Hey, Nancy Drew!" he called. Frank blinked several times to clear his head and followed his brother.

-

Nancy couldn't believe her eyes, though she should've expected this, since it seemed that no matter where she traveled, she ran into the Hardy boys. Joe smiled as they approached and hugged Nancy, while Frank hung back a bit. Once Nancy had finished with Joe, she and Frank looked at each other awkwardly for a split second, then broke out into smiles and finally hugged. Neither one really wanted to let go. Frank was the first one to break away.

"It's been a while, Drew," he said softly.

Nancy sighed, "Yes, it has, hasn't it?" Smiling, she glanced over at Joe. "So, what are you two doing here? A mystery, no doubt?" She grinned.

"What else?" Joe answered.

"Yeah, we're here looking into the disappearance of a girl from back home," Frank told her. "Got an anonymous tip, had no other leads, so here we are…"

Joe's face lit up a little more, "Hey, since, you know, you're here and, well, we need help with this case and all, why don't you join in on the mystery fun?"

A quick look of uncertainty crossed Nancy's face, which was replaced by one of what seemed to be regret, as she thought about Ned. She smiled slightly, "No, I'm sorry, but—"

"She's got other commitments," Ned said, as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to kiss her on the top of her head. He was smiling.

-

Ned couldn't decide if he was nervous or excited or both, as he got off the plane he had taken from Chicago. He had missed Nancy but was not sure if it was in the same way he had missed her in the past. Things had definitely changed between the two of them. He still loved her but didn't know if he could handle her choosing her cases over him. He was also somewhat jealous that he couldn't share her love of mysteries with her, and that there was someone else out there who could. Ned knew of the special connection Nancy had with the Hardys, but particularly with Frank. And, how wouldn't he know? He'd seen it, felt it. That chemistry. Well, this vacation would put a stop to all his worries. He'd have Nan all to himself; no mysteries and, especially, no Hardys. If things couldn't be worked out between them, they'd just have to move on, that was all there was to it… but could he do that? He wasn't sure and most certainly didn't want to find out.

As he walked off of the ramp from his plane, he saw Nancy where she had been waiting for him, but things were not as he had pictured. She was not standing there, waving and smiling for him, nor was she running to be in his arms. No. There she was, in the arms of Frank Hardy. Ned stopped, stunned, for a few moments. Then shook himself, took a deep breath, and walked toward them with a smile on his face. As he approached he heard Joe ask her to join in on the "mystery fun." After a slight hesitation, Nancy turned the offer down, to Ned's vast relief. He then decided to make his presence known.

Nancy was obviously startled by Ned's appearance and felt slightly ashamed to have even considered Joe's proposal, considering the state of her relationship with Ned. Not to mention, she felt guilty that Ned had to start their vacation seeing her with Frank, as she knew he had had to see her hugging him.

After standing there for another awkward moment, Nancy suggested that they all find their luggage. After doing so, they stepped outside to find a taxi. When one finally pulled up to them, Frank offered to let Nancy and Ned take it, while he and Joe waited for another.

"Don't be crazy, Hardy, there's plenty of room for all of us," Ned, of all people, replied. So, after their luggage was safely placed in the trunk of the car, Joe climbed in front, and the other three sat in the back seat, Nancy between Ned and Frank.

"So, where to?" asked the driver.

"The Hyatt," Frank and Ned said in unison. Then they just stared at each other for a moment.

Nancy broke the silence, as the taxi began to move, "Sit back, boys," as she gently pushed them back into their seats. Joe just raised his eyebrows, grateful he was not the one sitting in the middle of that. Another awkward silence prevailed, until Nancy said, "So, the Hyatt, huh? That's quite a coincidence."

"Yeah. So how long do you plan on being in Seattle, anyway?" Ned asked, and Nancy knew what he was getting at. He was hoping the brothers were only in town for a very short time, afraid of them ruining his much-needed time with Nancy.

Joe was the one to answer, "Um, actually, we don't really know yet. Just gonna see how things go, I guess. You know," he said, not wanting talk about a case in front of the driver.

"Oh," Ned hid his disappointment well enough, though Nancy could still see it in his body language.

After more silence, the driver announced they were at the Hyatt. While Ned and Frank both insisted on paying, Nancy had already been prepared to pay the driver herself, anticipating such an occurrence. As soon as she had given the money to the driver, both boys paused, mouths open in mid-sentence, and silently got out of the vehicle. The three guys grabbed their luggage and they all headed inside. In the lobby, Nancy and Ned separated from the Hardys and made their way to an elevator.

"Maybe we'll see you around the hotel, or even the city, sometime," Joe said, smiling, though secretly he wanted to laugh. Even though he never wanted to be caught in the middle of it all and did feel a bit sorry for all involved, he thought it was the funniest situation ever. Before he could stop himself, he said, "Hey, would you two want to maybe go out to grab some food with us somewhere?"

Nancy looked up at Ned, and though it was against his better judgment, he replied, "Sure, why not. We'll meet you down here in, say, twenty minutes," he glanced at his watch.

"Okay, it's a date," Joe smiled and chuckled slightly, as they turned toward the front desk in the lobby.

"You know, Joe, sometimes I think you may just be evil," Frank said, as he gave their names at the front desk and got their keys. Joe just grinned.

Once they had checked in, Frank and Joe made their way up to the sixth floor. As they were walking down the hall, looking for the number that matched that on their keys, Nancy stepped out of a door up ahead. "Oh, hey," she said. "What room do you have?"

"Hm… let's see." Frank glanced down at the key in his hand once more and looked up at the doors, as they passed. He stopped at the door across from Nancy.

"You're not serious?" Nancy looked over his shoulder at the key he was holding, and, sure enough, the Hardys were directly across from Nancy and Ned's room. Her eyes widened and she laughed, "Talk about crazy coincidences."

"Yeah, that seems to happen to us a lot, doesn't it," Frank said, scratching his head.

"I think this is great!" Joe blurted. "I mean, unless you don't want to see us during your vacation, Nan." He feigned hurt.

Nancy just gave him a skeptical look. "Don't worry, Joe, I always enjoy your warped sense of humor," and, smiling, she nudged him with her shoulder. "So, what exactly were your plans for dinner?" she asked.

"Well, I'm always up for Chinese," Joe replied.

"Chinese sounds fine to me," a voice came from the door behind Nancy. "Is that your room?" Ned asked, nodding to the door Frank had just opened and hoping there was some sort of mistake.

"Uh, yeah. Weird, huh?" was all Frank could say, as he laughed softly.

"Yeah, weird."

"Well, you guys should get your stuff into your room, and we'll just meet here instead of downstairs. Just knock when you guys are ready," Nancy said, this time before anyone could stand there awkwardly.

Once back in their room, Ned plopped down on one of the double beds. Nancy sat down on the edge of the other. "You know, Ned, you don't have to do this."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I know," he stared at the ceiling. He forced a smile and said, "No worries. I'm fine with it. It's not like you're going to be working on this mystery with them or anything. I still have you basically to myself."

Nancy stood up and started toward the bathroom, "You're a really great guy, you know that?" With that, she closed the bathroom door. However, Ned wasn't feeling so great right then.

A few moments later, as Nancy came out of the bathroom, she heard a noise in the hall and, thinking it was Frank and Joe closing their door, she went ahead and opened hers. However, the person in the hall was most certainly neither Hardy boy. Instead, a man dressed in jeans and a black hooded jacket was stooped in front of the Hardys door. Nancy couldn't see what he was doing, but whatever it was seemed very suspicious. "Can I help you?" she asked.

The man jumped up, startling Nancy, even though she expected him to be so, and whirled around in an instant, giving her a glimpse of pale skin and a nose ring under a hood pulled down so low, she couldn't make anything else out. Nancy glanced down to see a manila envelope pushed just barely under the door across from her and took a slight step toward the man and repeated, "Can I help you?"

"Mind your own business, lady," the man said.

Just then, Nancy heard the door start to open and took another step forward. The man, obviously hearing the noise as well, pushed Nancy back hard, and she fell into her own doorway, just as she saw Frank, with Joe behind him, appear in the other. The man had taken off in that same instant.

Frank knelt down by Nancy, as Joe chased after the guy, mumbling, "Damn… we just got here… I haven't eaten yet…" as he turned a corner up ahead.

Nancy sat up, as Frank asked, "Are you okay? What happened?" He smoothed the hair back from her face. Just as she was about to answer, Ned stepped up behind her.

"What happened?" he asked, looking at Frank, suspiciously. "I must've fallen asleep, but something woke me up. A noise. I guess it was Nancy falling."

"Pushed, but I'm fine," Nancy said, glancing up at Frank.

"Are you sure?" he asked, as he helped her up.

Nodding, "Yeah, landed on my backside pretty hard, but mostly just knocked the wind out of me." She looked at the floor, "He was leaving you something."

Frank followed her gaze and picked the envelope off the floor. At that moment, Joe came back around the corner, panting slightly. "I lost him in the stairwell. Man was in pretty good shape, might I add." He looked at the envelope in Frank's hands. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Seems that way," Frank said, hesitating to open it. "Well, here goes nothing."

Ned pulled Nancy towards him, as Frank withdrew a single sheet of paper containing two, simple words, "Go home."

-

Hi. Thanks for reading my first Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys fanfic. (Unless, that is, you actually skipped over the whole chapter and are just reading this…?) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, if you did read it! I'm going to try to update at least once a week; "try" I say, because I cannot guarantee it. Anyway, read and review! Love ya' all! Thanks!

Also, I have one other story on the site that needs to be updated... my excuse is I'm in college and, since I feel I need to do a little reading to refresh my memory on certain details of the stories, I have no time to read anything other than others' fanfiction and school stuff. So, while I'm taking time to write a little for this fanfic now, I will eventually update the other, though it may take some time.My apologies to anyone this inconveniences.


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Yes, I realize that I do not own any of the characters associated with Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, but oh how I wish I did….

Thanks for reviewing msnancydrew!

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Chapter 2

Nancy, Ned, and the Hardys were sitting at a table in a Chinese restaurant, waiting for their orders. All were deep in thought. All of them, except one, were thinking about the mysterious man who had left the note under the Hardys' door. They had decided there was really no reason to notify the police, since it wasn't exactly a threat, though it did have the potential to be. Ned was only thinking about how this always seemed to happen. Nancy always got involved in a mystery when they least expected it. Here they were trying to spend quality time together, away from all distractions, and it happened again. It wouldn't be so bad if Frank and Joe hadn't shown up, as they always tend to do. And that wasn't completely what was bothering Ned. What was bothering him the most (or, at least, what he was willing to admit to himself) was that, even when Nancy was honestly trying to stay out of this case, it had, nearly literally, fallen on her doorstep. Even when she wasn't involved, she became involved, as if these mysteries themselves were mysteriously drawn to her, rather than the other way around.

Nancy had told the Hardys all she could about this mysterious man. "So, you said he's tall, well-built but pale, and he had a nose ring?" Frank asked again. Nancy just nodded.

"Yeah, he seemed to have a pretty big build to me, very athletic," Joe said.

"Well, I'm just glad he didn't have a weapon. Nancy could've been hurt," Ned interrupted, irritably.

Frank looked up, "Yeah, I'm sorry that happened –"

"But it couldn't be helped," Nancy completed. "Things like that happen all the time."

"Yeah, to you," Ned said.

"No. To people," Nancy stated, calmly. "Sometimes people get in the way of others who are up to no good. You know that, as well as I do, Ned. Whether I'm involved in a case or not, and I'm not saying I'm involved in this one. Things like that can happen at any time."

Ned sighed. "I know. That doesn't mean I have to like it."

While Frank had grown a little irritated with Ned throughout this discussion, Joe looked back and forth between the couple, uncomfortably. To ease the tension, he decided to change the subject, "So, what do you two have planned for your stay here?" He hoped this was safe ground.

Nancy smile gratefully. "Well, you know, just average vacation stuff. Maybe the art museum, Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, you know, among other places."

"We're trying to make it as mystery-free as possible," Ned added, wrapping his arm around Nancy. "We were wanting to spend some time alone." Nancy felt this last statement was a little unnecessary, but Ned was obviously just making a point.

"Oh, I totally forgot! I told Dad I'd call him. He wanted to make sure both of us made it here alright. I'll be right back." Nancy slid out of the booth and made her way to the front of the restaurant.

After she left, Joe played with his napkin, while Frank just sat with his hands folded in front of him and Ned leaned back in his seat. Every once in a while, Ned would take a deep breath as if to say something, but no words escaped his mouth. When the waitress came by their table, Joe became distracted and started flirting with her.

Ned seized this as his chance. He leaned in toward Frank and, in a very low voice, said, "I don't want Nancy involved in this, Hardy."

Frank looked up, eyebrows raised, "Don't you think that's up to Nancy?"

"When it comes to a mystery, it's never up to Nancy. It's inevitable. But I don't want her involved in this one, this time. Got it? We came here for a vacation and we're going to go through with our plans. I don't want anything ruining this," though Ned's words became harsher, Frank could sense a great deal of emotion behind them.

"You have my word that I won't get her involved. But I can only do so much, only up to a certain point. Beyond that, it's all up to her," Frank replied, solemnly.

Ned just stared at him for a second, then gave a slight nod and sat back into his seat. Joe turned around and looked at the two of them. "Did I miss something?" he asked, just as Nancy returned from making her phone call.

"What's going on?" she smiled, but it faltered a bit as she sat down, looking at the three guys.

Frank answered, "Nothing much, just wondering what's taking so long with the food."

Nancy glanced at them each, in turn, "Hm. Yeah, it has taken quite some time, hasn't it?" Then she smiled, "Hey, Joe. Did I see you flirting with our waitress?"

"Huh? Of course not," he replied, grinning. "I was simply buttering her up, so we'd get our food faster."

"Uh-huh. Right."

A few moments later, their food did arrive, and they all ate hungrily. After dinner, they decided to walk back to the hotel. The night was warm and dry.

"So, what kind of exciting adventures have you two been on recently?" Nancy couldn't help but ask, and Ned could just make out the gleam in her eyes.

"Well, we'd actually been taking a little bit of a break, and, by break and little bit, I mean maybe a week. But before that, we just finished up a case in Las Vegas. It was actually a murder at a casino. That guy sure gave us a run for our money," Joe said.

"Oh, well, don't you sound proud of yourself," Nancy comment, teasingly. "What's your dad up to these days?"

Frank smiled, "You know dad… He's on his own case, confidentially, that is, in Spain. We really don't even know the details of it. But, anyway, he's keeping himself busy, while mom and Aunt Gertrude worry about him, day and night. He does call when he gets the chance, just to let them know he's okay, but he can't tell any of us much, especially not over the phone. He's planning on being home in about two weeks or so, though." Frank walked with his hands in his pockets. "What about you two? And how's your dad doing?"

"Well, Ned just finished up some summer classes and an internship in Chicago, and I actually just flew in from Cincinnati. Big case and all, though not as big as your Las Vegas one. Money laundering," she said, moderately.

"What are you talking about! That case was just as dangerous as any you've ever been on!" Ned started. "You told me yourself about that parking garage incident."

Frank looked concerned. "Parking garage incident?"

"I'm fine. I'm here, aren't I?" Nancy countered, giving Ned a look of disbelief. She then looked back toward the brothers, "It was nothing, really. I mean, nothing out of the ordinary, from when we're on a case. You know, you get too close and they try to warn you off. It's usually pretty exciting afterward, because you know you're almost there. Why else would they try to stop you?" Nancy's eyes lit up, as she knew how to get out of her little dilemma. "So, you guys know that you must've been right, coming to Seattle and all. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten that note telling you to leave."

Frank wasn't ready to change the subject, but figured he would ask her about it another time, since she so obviously wanted to speak of another topic. "That's true," he said. "Now we just need to figure out where to go from there."

Of course, Ned looked much more than peeved about her throwing off such an occurrence, but he didn't feel like pressing the issue. Mostly because he was afraid of what he might say.

"Oh, by the way, Dad's doing his usual, since you asked. He seems pretty happy with himself, recently, though he's in the office a lot. But, yeah, I'd say he's doing pretty great. Actually, he's on a date tonight, believe it or not. I kind of interrupted it, when I called him, but he was waiting for me to, so…" Nancy shrugged.

"Really! Carson Drew's on a date! Awesome!" Joe said, with a grin.

Frank wondered if Nancy was really as okay with it as she seemed to be. He watched her for a moment, until he realized that someone was looking at him. Ned, and he didn't look too pleased. Frank kicked himself mentally. He had to be careful but still wanted to be there for Nancy, like a good friend should be. Of course, he did understand the reason for Ned's jealousy, but it wasn't like he was checking her out or anything.

They passed the remainder of the walk in silence and went straight to the elevator, when they reached the hotel. Nancy led the way down the sixth floor hall, wondering how things could be alright, in their current situation, when she noticed the Hardys' door was ajar. She stopped and held her hands out to stop the guys behind her. Looking back at Frank and Joe, she motioned to their door. They made their way past Ned and Nancy and stood on either side of the frame. Frank reached inside and found the light switch, as he pushed the door open. The room appeared to be empty, but the bathroom door was closed, so they did the same routine there. No one. Looking around, they saw that nothing seemed out of place.

"Is anything missing?" Nancy asked from the doorway.

"It doesn't look like it," Frank replied. Then he asked Joe, "Where did you put the note?"

"Um, I laid it at the foot of your bed, before we left." They looked. It wasn't there, and it hadn't fallen under the bed, either.

"Why would they take the note?" Ned asked, frowning.

Frank brought his hand to his mouth, thinking. He shook his head, "I don't know. Maybe they were afraid they'd left finger prints or something, or just that it itself was too much evidence. It's not like we had the chance to have it dusted." He continued looking around, as if for inspiration.

Ned touched Nancy's arm, "We should probably just call it a night."

Hesitating, Nancy said, "Uh, yeah. I suppose so. Well, I guess we'll see you guys." She glanced back at Frank and Joe and slowly began to turn around. As she did so, she noticed that Ned was giving Frank a rather intense stare. Or maybe it was more of a glare, she couldn't really tell.

Then, Frank said, "Yeah. You two enjoy your vacation. Maybe we'll meet up for lunch or something, sometime before we leave town." Nancy frowned. What was going on here?

"Sounds good," Ned said, as he led Nancy out of the room and closed the door.

As he began to unlock their door, Nancy asked, "What was all that about?"

"All what?" He didn't look up.

She just stared at him a moment, then said, "Nevermind."

They both got ready for bed, and when Nancy came out of the bathroom in her t-shirt and pajama bottoms, she found Ned already asleep. She climbed into the other bed. Nancy didn't quite feel right about sleeping in the same bed as Ned, particularly since their relationship was 'on the rocks.'

So there she was, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. All she could think about was why the person felt the need to take the note back. Why _would_ they do that? She asked herself, over and over again. She was restless and had the urge to get out of bed and do some detective work, though she didn't know exactly what she could do. After another couple hours of not sleeping, Nancy thought she heard something out in the hall. She lay there for a moment, listening and debating whether or not she should actually, in this case, mind her own business. But she couldn't stand it anymore and threw the blankets back and climbed out of bed. Once she had made it to the door, she looked out the peephole. No one was there, so she opened the door and, glancing up and down the hallway, thought she caught a glimpse of someone rounding the corner. Frowning, she looked down. There, was another manila envelope, or maybe the same one. Closing her door behind her, so she wouldn't wake Ned, she crossed the hall, sidestepping the envelope.

Frank groggily answered the door on the fifth knock. When he noticed who was knocking, he woke up immediately. "Nancy! What's wrong?" She stepped aside and looked down at the floor. Frank rubbed his eye and frowned. "When did that get there?"

"Just a moment ago, I'm assuming. I couldn't sleep and heard some noise out here. By the time I got to the door, the guy was gone, but I'm pretty sure it was the same one. Barely caught a glimpse of him, as he rounded the far corner," she pointed down the hall. "I would have chased after him but knew there would be no way I could catch him. He had way too much of a lead."

Frank had picked up the envelope. Glancing at Nancy, and quickly looking toward her room, he said, "Come on in." She smiled.


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: No, unfortunately, I do _not_ own the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or anyone from any of the books. However, I think I did create the pale, nose-ringed, jean-clad, black-hooded, mystery man. Right?

Wow! So many reviews! It's exciting! Thank you so much, everyone! I'll try my best not to disappoint. I probably won't be responding to any reviews directly, but perhaps indirectly, through my story. As for the Nancy/Ned, Nancy/Frank, Nancy/Joe-inspired reviews… we'll all just have to wait and see what happens (not even I know that right now). I'll do my best!

* * *

Chapter 3

Frank turned on the light between the two double beds. "Joe, get up."

Joe groaned, rolled over, and pulled his extra pillow over his face. "What?" came his muffled voice.

"We've had another visitor, or the same visitor," he replied.

Joe slowly peeked out from under his pillow. Squinting, he said, "Nancy?"

"Hey, Joe, sorry to wake you, but our athletic friend has been lurking outside your door again." Nancy sat down on the edge of the other bed.

Joe sat up. "What now?" He looked up at his brother.

"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out," he said, as he examined the outside of the envelope. It was just like the previous one. Opening it, he looked inside. One single piece of paper. He pulled it out and read it, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Nancy asked, getting up to look over Frank's shoulder. There she saw the exact same piece of paper from earlier, with the same message, except added were two new words.

The note now read, "Go home… Or else."

When no one said anything, Joe got out of bed and took the note from Frank. "Oh. I see. That's new," he said, frowning as well. "What, are they trying to conserve paper, or something?" He handed the note back to Frank and sat down on the edge of the bed, deep in thought.

"This _is_ pretty strange. Has this kind of thing ever happened to you guys before?" Nancy asked, only to get two negative responses. "Hm. Either they _are_ worried about paper conservation or they feel pretty creative."

Neither Nancy nor Frank could sit still, so they began pacing. Nancy stopped. "Is there anything you haven't told me about this case? Or maybe about the anonymous tip you received?" she asked.

Frank ran his hand through his hair. "Not really. We still don't know much ourselves. That's why we decided to chance coming here. It was the only lead we've had in a while." Frank finally sat down in one of the chairs in the corner of the room.

"Okay, then tell me everything you _do_ know," Nancy said, sitting in the other chair. Frank hesitated for much longer than Nancy thought he should. Normally he wasn't so tentative about sharing information with her. "Frank?" He just looked at her with indecision.

Joe too, was a little perplexed by this. Since when did his brother not want to get Nancy Drew involved in one of their mysteries?

"What exactly is going on here? I got back to the table at dinner, all three of you were acting weird, then I see Ned giving you this really peculiar look tonight, and now you won't tell me anything else about your case? What's up, Hardy?" Nancy gave Frank a look to rival that of Ned's from earlier.

Frank closed his eyes and sighed. "I promised Ned that I wouldn't get you involved. I know that the two of you have been having it pretty rough recently, and he just wants there to be a time when the two of you can be together, without you having to run around solving a mystery." He looked up at her. He felt tired suddenly.

"And he said this to you?" Nancy asked.

Frank shrugged slightly, "More or less." He looked away.

Joe sat up straighter. Now he understood exactly what had happened at the Chinese Restaurant.

It was Nancy's turn to sigh. "I see. I really don't know what to say. What you said is true, but I didn't think Ned would feel _this_ strongly about it. I mean, you guys need all the help you can get, right?" She looked between the two of them. Frank just sat there, while Joe, who was about to nod, glanced at his brother and changed his mind.

Frank's slightly impassive look was replaced by a wry smile. "I did tell him _I_ wouldn't get you involved," he looked at her. She was about to say something, but he stopped her, "I also told him that it was ultimately up to you. If you want to risk it and think he can handle that, then by all means." He paused. "Because, honestly, we really could use the help."

Joe was relieved that Frank wasn't cutting Nancy off completely. He thought he knew what was going on with Frank, though. Recently, he and his girlfriend Callie Shaw had decided on a break, for very similar reasons to those causing problems between Nancy and Ned. He probably just didn't want Nancy to go through the same thing.

Nancy thought for a moment. Then she got that look she always got, when coming up with a solution. "You know, I'm sure Ned wouldn't see anything wrong with me _consulting_. I could spend my days with him, as planned, and at night, you guys could run your ideas by me, along with any other information you come across." She was truly excited now. "That could _hardly_ be considered being _involved_." Then, she made herself more comfortable in her chair, as if she intended on being there for a while. "So. Tell me," she looked back and forth between the two of them, once more.

Frank considered something just then. "On one condition," he said, raising his eyebrows. Nancy just tilted her head. "You tell us about this 'parking garage incident'."

* * *

Nancy crept quietly back into the room she was sharing with Ned. Glancing at the alarm clock, she noted that it was now four in the morning. She and Ned had agreed upon getting up around nine, in order to get a somewhat early start. They planned to visit the art museum that day and spend time just wandering around some of the shops and cafes downtown. However, she was sure that getting up around that time was going to be a chore in itself. She climbed into bed, fully expecting sleep to elude her, since her mind was whirring with thought, but fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Nancy awoke in complete darkness and quiet, and it took her a moment to realize where she was. When she did, she reached for the clock, sensing she had overslept. Twelve. _What the…? _She frowned and threw the blankets back, getting ready to call for Ned, until she became conscious of the fact that he was no longer in bed. It was then that she heard a key in the door. It opened and closed quietly.

"Hey, Nan?" Ned asked in a low voice. He squinted into the darkness. "Oh, you're awake." He walked across the room, sat some paper bags on the small table in the corner, and drew the curtains open. Nancy had to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. Ned turned around. "Sorry 'bout that," he winced and went back to the bags he'd brought in with him.

Nancy got up and went across the room. "I thought we were getting up at nine?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"We were. I mean, _I_ did. The alarm went off, but your eyelids didn't even flutter." He mouth formed a small smile, but he didn't look at her. "But, anyway, I thought you could probably use a little more sleep, since you were up so late." He pulled several packages from the paper bags and handed one to her. Now their eyes met.

She reached for the package, and they paused for a moment, before Ned let go of it. She let her eyes drop. She didn't know exactly what to say and fumbled around with a few words, until Ned placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Nan," he said trying to get her to look at him again. She did. "Don't worry about it. I think I understand. I mean I don't know what happened, since I just woke up when I heard you creeping about at 4 AM." He sat down on one side of the table and began to unwrap one of the packages, revealing a sandwich, and then pulled two bottles of water out of another bag.

Nancy sighed and sat down across from Ned. "They got their note back," she said, simply. "I found it. You know me. I couldn't sleep and, when I heard something out in the hall, tried to ignore it, but I couldn't. The guy was basically gone by the time I got there." She paused. "I also found out about your little talk with Frank… and understand." She started unwrapping her sandwich and grabbed a bottle of water.

"So, is that the end of our vacation, then?" Ned asked, half-heartedly.

Nancy stopped. "No. Of course not, Ned. I did tell them I'd help, but through no actual sleuthing. Okay? You and I are here solely to see the sites. I've only offered my services as a consultant." Her eyes met his, as she touched his hand. "I really want this to work."

"I know. Me, too." He smiled. "Sorry you missed breakfast, but I thought I'd pick us up some lunch. Got some fruit here, too," he pointed at some of the paper-wrapped items.

They enjoyed their lunch and decided they still had time to go to the museum and a few shops before nightfall.

* * *

So, once again, let me know what you think… I really appreciate it. Don't worry, there'll be more… and it'll be (at _least_, a little) more exciting. Hope you enjoyed:) 


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